Vaginal Practices of HIV-Negative Zimbabwean Women

Table 2

Products inserted by women to tighten the vagina.

Products inserted by women	Visits (𝑛=574)
	𝑛	%^∗
Cloth	161	28
Lemon or lemon juice	120	21
Cotton wool	117	20
Natural substances (herbs, powder, roots)	93	16
Water	77	14
Salt or salt solution	40	7
Disinfectant (Dettol, Betadine)	16	3
Oil	14	3
Alum powder	10	2
Newspaper	6	1
Tissue paper	4	1
Powder (unspecified type)	3	1
Vicks	3	1
Sugar	2	<1
Vinegar	2	<1
Baking soda	1	<1
Ice	1	<1
Toothpaste	1	<1

^∗Categories sum to >100% because multiple responses were permitted.